Westminster council open to new Tet parade rules

Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, back to camera, got out of his convertible and walked over to offer his support to a group protesting the exclusion of gays in the Westminster Tet parade Sunday. Jose Solorio, vice president of the Rancho Santiago Community College District board of trustees, did the same and then joined the group on the sidelines. The LGBT group also received support from Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, and others. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

WESTMINSTER – Next year's celebration of the lunar new year in Little Saigon may see some changes following this year's controversy over the exclusion by parade organizers of a gay and lesbian organization.

Members of the Partnership of Viet Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations asked the Westminster City Council on Wednesday night to consider including a no-discrimination clause to the city's ordinance affecting special-events permits.

While the council members did not specifically address the group's request during the meeting, they all expressed support for the LGBT group.

"No one here on the council supported what took place this past weekend," said Councilman Sergio Contreras, who otherwise lauded Sunday's parade. "We are going to figure out ways it won't happen in the future.

"The Westminster I grew up in is about inclusion, it's about diversity," he said.

Councilwoman Margie Rice, a former longtime mayor, said she was involved in meetings between the city and the organizers, the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California. And she was not pleased with what she heard, she said.

"I did urge them to realize that they came to this country to be free, and they were taking away other people's freedom. They didn't listen. I was very disappointed," Rice said. In the future, she said, "we need to take a good look" at who receives permits to host special events.

Councilwoman Diana Carey, who walked in the parade carrying a small rainbow flag in support of the LGBT group, said after the council meeting that she would support adding a non-discrimination clause to the city's ordinance.

City Attorney Dick Jones said after the meeting that city staff will look into the issue and report back to the council.

Traditionally, the city has organized and paid for the parade that celebrates the lunar new year. But last year, city officials said they could not afford such special events. In the past couple of months, the Vietnamese American Federation stepped up to coordinate various community groups and raise money for the parade. One of its key organizers was the locally based Vietnamese Interfaith Council in America, which in 2010 called for a boycott of the parade because of the LGBT's inclusion. That was the first year the gay and lesbian group participated in the traditional march down Bolsa Avenue.

Parade organizers said the parade represents their Vietnamese culture, and the LGBT group's theme "strays and varies" from the theme of the parade. Four days before Sunday's procession, the organizers won in court, where an Orange County Superior Court judge refused to grant an injunction to force the organizers to let the LGBT group participate.

Although it was not allowed to march in the parade this year, the LGBT group received support from various local and national organizations, including the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, the Democratic Party of Orange County, the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California, the American Civil Liberties Union and others.

Natalie Newton, a leader of the LGBT group, said her group plans to continue to meet with city officials to ask them for a non-discrimination clause and a clearer vetting process for parade participants.

On Wednesday, the only speakers who addressed the issue spoke in favor of the LGBT group.

"Today, I'm very ashamed that our very own community discriminates against our children," Garden Grove resident Nhan Ngo, 70, told the council through a translator. Ngo said that barring the group from participation was discrimination based on religion and a hate crime.

Westminster resident Clayton Chau, a member of the LGBT group, said that barring the group sent a negative message to gay youth who already may be struggling with their identity, bullying, and coming out to their families and friends.

Garden Grove resident Bob Tucker, whose kiss with his longtime partner at the parade three years ago caused a ruckus among some Vietnamese Americans, said he and his partner are regularly welcomed in the Vietnamese community, and he disputed the organizers' argument that their culture prohibits acceptance of gays.

It was an act of discrimination and hate, Tucker said.

Noting that it was the night before Valentine's Day, Tucker concluded his statement by turning to his partner of 22 years, Quan Nguyen, to say: "I love you, Quan, and I hope we spend many more years together."

Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, back to camera, got out of his convertible and walked over to offer his support to a group protesting the exclusion of gays in the Westminster Tet parade Sunday. Jose Solorio, vice president of the Rancho Santiago Community College District board of trustees, did the same and then joined the group on the sidelines. The LGBT group also received support from Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, and others. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Hitia O Te Ra dancer performs during the Tet parade in Westminster Sunday before thousands. In the background are members of the Partnership of Viet Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations, which peacefully protested exlusion from the event. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
David Dang, 14, with United Shaolin Kung Fu, goes heels-over-head during the Westminster Tet parade last Sunday. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A parade-goer focuses on the La Quinta High School Band during the Tet parade in Westminster. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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